


Pokémon Reset Bloodlines Sidestory - Bloodliner Hunter Interlude

by FoxBluereaver



Series: Pokémon Reset Bloodlines [83]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Child Murder, Hate Crimes, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2019-10-10 03:05:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17417861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FoxBluereaver/pseuds/FoxBluereaver
Summary: William Stronger only has one goal in mind: to get rid of the nightmares that plague him every night. And the only way to do so is by killing the ones responsible for that future war, and make sure it doesn't come to pass. Written by BRANDON369. General knowledge of Pokémon Reset Bloodlines is highly recommended.





	1. Chapter 1

**_Vermillion City…_ **

Officer Jenny's motorbike sped through the streets at full throttle, while the Squirtle riding on the sidecar held on for dear life. An emergency call had interrupted her daily patrol, and now she was racing towards a disaster that had happened a few hours prior.

After turning around a corner, she screeched to a halt, almost jumping off her vehicle. Her colleagues had already corded the area, and she saw it: the building that used to be the local Community Center had been reduced to rubble, totally collapsed on itself.

Trying to keep her cool, she quickly passed over the police cord and approached one other officer checking the area. "What happened here exactly?"

"Witnesses say it was the work of some Dugtrio," the other officer replied. "Looks like they hid underground and destroyed the building's foundations to make it crumble."

Officer Jenny frowned. Why would a bunch of Dugtrio attack the building? Did they come from the nearby Diglett cave? Possibly, but as far as she knew those weren't aggressive in the least. One other chance was that they could have been released by some irresponsible trainers, and they unleashed their frustration against the building, but why go that far?

Finding no answers, Jenny focused on what she could solve; namely, examining the area. The emergency teams were attending to the wounded, some having graver injuries than others, and she saw one of the ambulances was being loaded with two bodies covered in white blankets. She cringed; so there were fatal casualties.

"We've identified them both," the paramedic in charge said. "Their names were Motto and Suku, ten years old, twin siblings. They were locals, and visited the center on a regular basis."

Jenny grabbed the IDs. She didn't really know them, but it hurt her to see they were just a couple of kids.

"Madam, please get a hold of yourself!"

"Let go of me! This is all his fault! My children!"

A lot of screams mixed with sobbing interrupted Jenny's train of thought. Seeing outside of the police cord, she saw a middle-aged woman restrained by two officers, while a third was shielding a man she recognized as the Community Center's director. The woman's face was red and twisted by the anger, and rivers of tears still flowed from her eyes as she struggled.

As the woman continued to scream at the top of her lungs, Jenny decided to intervene.

"You promised you'd take care of them! See what happened for leaving them alone!"

"Hold on!" Jenny shouted. "Please tell me what's the problem here."

"Jenny, the lady here is the mother of the two kids who died," one of the officers holding the woman's arms explained. Now the screaming and crying all made sense. She needed to smooth it to the best of her ability.

"Alright. Madam, I understand how you're feeling right now, but you need to keep calm," Jenny said. "If we want to clear this up…"

"What's there to clear up?! My children are dead, because of this man's neglect!"

"Stop it!" Jenny said, getting in-between to help in the restraining. She then turned to the man on the other side. "Now, Mr. Director, if you were so kind to explain your version of what happened?"

The man nodded, calming down once they kept the mother at safe distance. "This morning, we got a call from a sponsor who wanted to host an event, to raise funds for the center. Said he wanted to meet me in person, so I left the rest of the staff to watch over the center, as well as the kids visiting."

Jenny listened attentively, looking away from the director to glance at the mother. The woman looked ready to jump him at any second, and she could understand it: the despair of losing her children was clouding her judgment, and she just wanted somebody to blame just so she could vent her pain.

"I had known them for a while," the director continued. "They were good kids. Came to the center quite often, they loved Pokémon and wanted to be trainers one day. I assure you, I'm really saddened for what happened, and I feel responsible for it."

"Don't say that, please." Jenny then turned towards the mother. "Madam, I can assure you, we'll get to the bottom of this."

"Who cares about that?" the woman said, her anger gradually making way to sobbing. "My children had a bright future and many dreams ahead of them. Now... all of that is gone... forever..."

The woman ceased to struggle and just dropped herself on her knees, holding her face between her hands as she cried her heart out in despair. Jenny didn't know what else to do but to hold her by the shoulders, trying to comfort her.

"I should... have told them... to stay at home..."

While she didn't approve of directing anger against an innocent party, Jenny could understand the powerlessness of not being there, of not being able to do anything to save them. She glanced at her bike: her Squirtle was still on the sidecar's seat, bringing back recent memories of a very similar feeling.

All the officer could do now was to fulfill her duty, examine the disaster zone and question the witnesses. Everything seemed to point to an unfortunate coincidence, to the Dugtrio just randomly attacking the building while the children were inside.

However, as she continued to ask questions, some things didn't seem to add up. For starters, it sounded like the Dugtrio had done a coordinated attack, to force everybody out of the building, and then prevented them from returning so they could rescue the kids. Her gut made her believe that wasn't a coincidence.

As her colleagues continued their job and Jenny continued to try and calm down the inconsolable mother, she almost thought to have seen a tall man wearing a trenchcoat with a smile on his face standing out among the crowd. Before she could approach or even be sure he was there, however, the man disappeared out of thin air, leaving the poor Jenny clueless and back to her own investigation.

…

"Trio, trio."

He made sure nobody was watching before returning the Dugtrio to their Pokéballs. The man was happy; things had gone just as planned. It had been a clean shot and there was no way the police would connect that incident to the infamous Bloodliner Hunter.

With all his previous hits in the past, he had learned to be cautious; if he wanted to save the world, he had to do it in a subtle way, one step at the time. He needed to get enough attention to gather collaborators, but not enough to become a target for the International Police or the Pokémon G-Men. He was always grateful whenever he could fulfill his mission without the police catching on.

His targets on this occasion weren't particularly dangerous; they were just a couple of twin siblings. They lacked the damned Z-marks, but their other physical traits like those diabolical red eyes or height above other kids their age made him suspicious. After investigating and seeing them using their abilities when they thought nobody was watching, he confirmed it.

Those kids were part of those damn monsters who'd ruin the planet in the nearby future. According to the data he'd carefully gathered, they were Bloodliners of some sort of Electric-type, possibly Plusle or Minun from what he had seen. At first glance they didn't seem like a danger, but not knowing what other ability they could have, the Hunter decided he wouldn't risk with a frontal attack. The best choice was making everything look like an accident, and Ground-types would be supereffective against them. The plan went smoothly.

William Stronger was a skilled hunter, and he knew what to do next. Despite the large amount of Bloodliners he found in the Kanto region, he couldn't be careless and go after them so quickly. Without someone of influence watching his back, it'd be just a matter of time before he was connected to killing of children who looked alike in the same region, making it easier to be found out.

So instead, he'd travel to another region to continue his hunt for monsters. If he wanted to make sure the world would be free of a war that would lay waste to entire regions, he'd have to take precautions to avoid getting caught.

Once he was sure nobody saw him, he entered his van, strategically parked in an alley of Vermillion City. Inside the vehicle there were several computers and gadgets to make his job easier, so he quickly sat by one of the monitors and took a microphone and earpiece, as he began keying something to start a call.

"It's done."

"Well done, Hunter," a mysterious voice replied through the speaker. "I saw everything on the news, you made good use of the Dugtrio I gave you."

"Spare me the flattery; I need to go after my next target."

"You never rest, do you?"

"Rest? Every second I rest is a second those monsters increase their power for that war."

"Yeah, I know, a Bloodliner War which is to lay waste on the world in the future. You're lucky our collaborators know nothing of your real goal."

"Cut the chatter, Savitore, and tell me at once where my next targets are."

Savitore could be annoying at times, but he could be quite useful against those monsters who'd destroy the world. He didn't know his real name, and they'd never met in person, but he was the best ally he had. One day he called him, telling him how a Bloodliner had killed his son and wanted to help him get the world rid of them.

At first, Stronger didn't understand what kind of help his new partner could offer him, but the Hunter quickly saw he was an influent man, and skilled with computers. Thanks to his research, discovering Bloodliners had become much easier. Besides that, Savitore was also his direct link to the suppliers, those who'd always provide him with the Pokémon needed for his missions.

"Easy, Hunter, I'm sending you the data right away." The Hunter watched as several data files were downloaded to his computer. "Let's see, there are three potential targets in Kalos. The first could be troublesome, since he won the last League Conference and lives away in the mountains. The second sounds much easier; he's a rookie trainer with four badges and travels with another girl who might be a Bloodliner too. Neither of them has any family who cares for them, so if you play your cards well you might beat them easily. The last one is a girl who has a knack for high-risk activities, and at this rate, she's more likely to get herself killed sooner than later, hehehehe."

"Interesting. The League Conference winner could cause me trouble if your data here is accurate. For now, the rookie seems like a good choice. What else do you have?"

"We've got one in Alola and another in Hoenn. The Alola one seems part of the local gang known as 'Team Skull', since there are people who claim to have seen one of their grunts using their powers. The Hoenn one seems to have inspired the urban legend known as the 'Gray Poochyena'. That sounds amusing, don't you agree?"

"Another urban legend?"

At that point he wasn't that surprised. In the years he had been carrying out his mission, he had witnessed how some Bloodliners inspired urban legends, and he had to take care of them. There was the infamous 'Demon of Lavender Town', who was just a Confuse Ray Bloodliner who was a child's play to kill. Also the famous 'Unown King', who turned out to be one of those monsters, wearing a ridiculous costume and living in some ancient ruins. Though in the latter case he had to admit that a Bloodliner using Hidden Power was troublesome, but having been blessed by Arceus, he wouldn't lose to anyone.

The Hunter checked the data on the 'Gray Poochyena'. From the hearsay, a man had gotten lost in the woods and found a gray-colored Poochyena who talked to him and with its intelligence helped him find his way out. At first glance it sounded like an old wives tale, but some of the locals were afraid of it, since the alleged Poochyena would attack them to steal their food when they walked too deep into its forest.

All that sounded so silly the Hunter would have probably ignored it, if it wasn't because one of the travelers had managed to snap a photo. He opened the file to check the image, and despite being blurry, he saw it wasn't a Pokémon: it had human form and despite being largely covered by a silver long mane, he spotted something in its face: a pair of Z-marks. He had found his next target.

"Get everything ready, Savitore. I'm off to Hoenn."

"So you're going to visit our Poochyena kid?" the other man replied with some mockery the Hunter chose to ignore.

"Prepare me a team with advantage against Dark-types; that monster is probably of that species."

"Alright. I'll get in touch with our suppliers and call you when I get everything sorted out."

Once the call ended, the Hunter sighed and prayed. He had a new hunt underway. Even though he was tired, he needed to fulfill the mission Arceus had given him, to create a safer world.

* * *

 

_**Unknown location…** _

_He couldn't see a thing through all that darkness._

_The Hunter had been in that place many times, every night since he could remember, and yet he still felt fear every time._

_It wasn't the darkness filling the place that terrified him; in fact, said darkness was rather comforting. What really terrified him was what he saw whenever the darkness dispelled, as it showed him something different every night._

_This time, the darkness was replaced by water. The Hunter found himself in the middle of a storm, one that didn't look normal. It was pretty strong and destructive, with lightning striking and thunder booming all over the place._

_Looking around, he saw he was in the middle of a rather big city, or at least what was left of it. The lower streets had been flooded by the storm, the buildings had collapsed on themselves everywhere and there were very few structures still standing. To top it off, the streets where the water hadn't reached yet were flooded by corpses. A massive_ slaughter had occurred.

Suddenly, he ceased to be the fearsome Bloodliner Hunter and became just William Stronger, trying to find anybody still alive so he could help. But it was always the same: even if he found someone, someone wounded or dying, he couldn't even touch them. He was like a ghost, unable to interact with anybody, and all he could do was watch.

_"Help! Somebody help!"_

_He then saw a woman running for her life, trying not to be dragged by the storm's currents. Her face was filled with true terror, yet her will to live seemed strong enough to not to care about the water that almost reached her waist._

_Struggling, she reached one of the still relatively intact houses and entered it, thinking she'd be safe in there._

_For a moment, William Stronger thought about following her, but he stopped when he heard a voice cry out…_

_"Hydro Cannon!"_

_And that was the last thing he heard before a water projectile flew towards the house, blasting it to pieces in a huge splash. There was no way the woman could have survived that._

_Feeling anger and powerlessness, he turned around to face the attackers. Unsurprisingly, he saw that accursed mark in their faces: the two of them had the Z-like lines in their cheeks. The only ones capable of causing such destruction were those monsters: the Bloodliners._

_"Sheesh, looks like you went a little overboard, little bro. I would have loved to have some fun with her first."_

_"Killing her was merciful compared to leaving her in your hands. And stop calling me that; a monster like you will never be my brother."_

_"You're being unfair, little bro. After all, you're not that different from me."_

_"Do not compare me to you! The only reason why I'm here with you is because you're holding her hostage! I'm not a monster like you!"_

_"Don't try to fool me. True, we do have your little beauty captive to keep you on our side, but you can't pretend you don't like this. I've seen you in action; you have no sympathy for these humans. You wanna kill them too, you relish in doing so."_

_"That's… that's not true…"_

_"You don't have to pretend, your girlfriend isn't here listening. You hate humans, and nobody can blame you for that. Those pests have ruined everything you hold dear. So what's wrong with paying them back, especially since they killed your mo–"_

_"I KNOW! You don't have to remind me that… It doesn't matter now, all I want is to keep her safe."_

_"And she'll be, as long as you're still with us."_

_"Fine, but… let's be clear on something. I'm not like you. I don't smile when I have to do this."_

_"Suit yourself." The older Bloodliner stepped forward and then raised his foot._

_He then stomped on the ground as hard as he could, causing a tremor and sending out energy wave across the already damaged pavement, opening massive crevices that swallowed everything nearby._

_The wave reached the base of a ruined building, and it quickly crumbled down on itself before being swallowed by the earth. Panic screams filled the air as Stronger realized what happened: there were people hiding in that building._

_Even knowing he couldn't do a thing, the Bloodliner Hunter ran, hoping he could help the people inside… only to end up crushed by the falling debris and then falling into the void of darkness, again…_

…

The Hunter woke up startled, but quickly took a deep breath. Just another nightmare. He glanced around, and much to his relief, he saw he was still in the helicopter taking him to Hoenn.

He had fallen asleep again, and he hated when that happened. It had been years since the last time he was able to get a good sleep. Night after night he saw it: horrible visions of a never-changing future, no matter his efforts. That was a curse.

But he didn't get anything by complaining; if he wanted to change the future and have pleasant dreams again, he had to fulfill his mission. He'd kill every last one of those monsters, spawned by the Devil himself.

Seeing he still had some time before landing on his destination, the Hunter decided to check the bag with the gadgets he had brought along. Over time, he had learned that he needed more than the Pokémon given by his collaborators to face Bloodliners, so he had built several devices for different situations.

He had to carefully pick which ones he'd take along and leave the rest in the bag, just for an emergency. First, he pulled out his Pokéball disruptor. It had been one of his most useful devices, but seeing he wouldn't be facing a trainer, it'd sit this mission out. On the other hand, he'd take along his electric baton, ready in case he'd find himself under a direct attack.

As he sorted out his tools, the pilot called him out, telling him they'd arrive in Hoenn shortly.

* * *

 

**_Hoenn region…_ **

After hopping off the helicopter, he arrived to one of the region's thickest forests, one very few dared to explore.

He had landed on a very small village in the middle of the forest. It looked rather backwards, and from what he had read, it was home to many exiled people from several towns, mostly those who refused to take part in the Draconid-Sootopolitan conflict. The Hunter thought it was stupid: that little Hoennian quarrel was nothing compared to the war that would destroy the world should he fail his mission.

He couldn't afford to waste time, so he quickly collected as much info as possible from the locals, and then ventured into the forest. He doubted it would be helpful; they were a rather superstitious bunch to the point of creating many legends around that Bloodliner, which sickened him to no end.

For all he knew, Draconids were for the most part aggressive towards strangers, but that didn't seem to the case in this village. Maybe they were a little backwards, but at least they were more open.

A short old man came to greet him. "Welcome. I'm the head of this village. Please forgive any inconveniences, we don't have outsiders here often, Mister…"

"Liw. My name is Mail Liw, and I'm a researcher. I'm interested in studying the Pokémon living in this forest." The Hunter introduced himself with one of his multiple fake names, while pulling his bag out of the helicopter.

"A researcher? You Sootopolitans are really curious folk. But I'm afraid you've come here for nothing; the Pokémon living in this forest are hardly special."

"Every Pokémon is special in their own way. Sure there must be a wide variety of them." The Hunter walked alongside the elder, trying to ignore the glances shot at him by the rest of the villagers.

"Not as much as you'd expect, Mr. Liw. All we have are some Zigzagoon, the occasional Taillow flock, some Wurmple depending on the season, and if we're lucky, even some Seedot. None of them are particularly aggressive, but if I were you, I'd watch out for the Poochyena pack that comes out at night."

"Poochyena pack?" the Hunter asked. That was his point of interest.

"In the past, they used to leave deep in the nearby mountains, and they'd seldom come down to hunt for food." The man made a pause before continuing. "However, since a few years ago, they made the forest their home, since the Gray Poochyena showed up. If you don't want to get hurt, you better not walk too deep into its domain."

"The Gray Poochyena?" The Hunter let out a small chuckle. "I've heard some talk about that. But isn't it just a rumor?"

"Don't let rumors fool you, the Gray Poochyena is very real. It's human only in appearance: inside, it's an indomitable beast. Savage, dangerous and terrifying…"

The old man continued to tell stories about the Gray Poochyena and how dangerous it was. After listening to his warnings over and over, he finally left him alone and went his own way. While he wasn't sure he could take the old man's word for it, he needed the info before he dealt with the Bloodliner. Until then, all the info he had found about his target in the internet described it as 'a strange Poochyena with human-like intelligence'. That didn't seem enough to get a full grasp on it, though.

The Hunter knew that tracking a Bloodliner inside the woods would be hard, given how big and thick it was. Worst of all, being so unexplored meant it would be potentially dangerous. He brought out a pair of Granbull his collaborators had sent him to scare off Taillow or Zigzagoon who might try to attack him. Not only would they come in handy with their Fairy-type, for advantage against Dark, but also their sense of smell, to locate his prey.

Forty-seven minutes of walking in the forest later, one of the Granbull finally found a clue: a small streak of silver hair, stuck in an old fallen log. The Hunter examined it: it definitely didn't belong to any Pokémon, so it was most likely from the Gray Poochyena.

"Sniff it, I want you to find this hair's owner." Both Granbull came closer and sniffed the hair. Once they got the scent's trail, the Fairy-types ran off and the Hunter followed them.

About fifteen minutes later, both Granbull finally stopped next to what looked like a small cave. It wouldn't be the first time he'd find one of those monsters living as the savage creatures they were, so his current target was most likely one of those wild Bloodliners lacking any intelligence who made the forest their home. That would make it easier: with a naïve and uncivilized victim, plus the fact nobody would come to help it, things would go just fine.

The Hunter cautiously peeked into the cave, looking for his prey. He was rather surprised at what he found in it, though: the cave's inside didn't seem like the lair of a wild animal, being unusually clean and tidy. It had a small bed, and a desk with some books. It looked more like one of those Secret Bases so popular in Hoenn, although a tad smaller than average.

Of course, the Hunter had no time to investigate that place, as he and the Granbull tensed when they heard a voice.

"You took longer than I expected. I was starting to get bored."

He turned around to see a young girl, with very long silver hair. The Hunter analyzed her: she was rather short of stature, which was unusual as he was more used to find them tall, and though he gauged around ten or twelve years of age, her expression seemed a lot more mature than that.

Nevertheless, those accursed marks on her cheeks and those evil red eyes definitely gave away as one of those monsters. Maybe he could try to fool her.

"You knew I was coming?" Perhaps with questions he could learn what her secondary Bloodline was. He didn't want any nasty surprises.

"Obviously. A traveler who ventures alone into the forest, clearly tracking something. But he's not interested in local Pokémon, neither is he lost. That traveler is clearly looking for the Gray Poochyena."

"A nice deduction, no doubt. Did you figure out yourself, or some power helped you with it?"

"Here's another for you. You're not one of those superstitious guys who are looking for the legendary Gray Poochyena." The girl gave a confident smirk. "Clearly you have knowledge about Bloodliners, but you're a normal human, so it's unlikely that guy sent you here."

"What guy are you talking about?"

"Now, if you're not one of that guy's lackeys, and you're not one of those superstitious villagers either, that only leaves one question. What are your intentions?"

That girl was starting to irritate him, but he needed to keep his cool. Rushing in to attack, without full knowledge of his opponent's capacities was a mistake that an experienced hunter could never commit.

"Well, child, I assure you I mean you no harm. I just want to..."

"First of all, I'm not a child, just inherited my mom's height," the girl interrupted. She then crossed her arms and gave off a smug smirk. "Second, don't think you're going to fool me, it's clear you came here with bad intentions."

"What makes you think that?" he asked. That girl was turning out to be more annoying than he expected.

"I don't know who you are, or why you're looking for me." The girl glared at him coldly. "But you're not coming here in peace. You're stained with the blood of many."

At first, the Hunter felt he was going to explode with the girl's cocky attitude, but he kept his cool. Then he saw it: a small glow in the little monster's eyes. Any other would have missed it, but not him.

That was her second Bloodline! She wouldn't be a threat in combat, there was no reason for pretenses anymore.

"Play Rough!"

The Granbull duo charged to attack the girl furiously. She was mildly surprised by the sudden command the Hunter gave, but the so-called Gray Poochyena proved herself rather nimble, dodging both Granbull's attacks, and then ran out of the cave.

"Chase her!" he shouted. He couldn't let his prey get away, and the Granbull immediately obliged.

Knowing his victim's powers, the Hunter was now prepared. With luck, those Granbull would be enough to defeat a Mightyena Bloodliner, and he was prepared to deal even with a Dark Heart if needed.

The Hunter exited the cave, only to find himself shocked. Both Granbull had been caught in a vine-tailored net, hanging from a tree. The accursed brat had set them a trap right in the entrance of the cave.

And speaking of her, she was sitting on top of a tree branch, watching him with a mocking smirk.

"Why you little…" The Hunter almost grabbed two more Pokéballs, but then...

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Before the Hunter could react, a pack of Poochyena and Mightyena came out of their hiding places and surrounded him, growling and baring their teeth. That was bad; those Pokémon were aggressive and dangerous, and a false step could be fatal.

"You better drop all of your Pokéballs now, or else..." the girl continued, still mocking him.

The little arrogant brat was making his blood boil. There was no way the Bloodliner Hunter could let himself be defeated by any of those monsters. His mission was too important to let himself fall that way.

Knowing that any error could prove fatal, the Hunter moved as fast as he could, pulling out a pair of black spheres from his coat and throwing them to the ground, before any Pokémon jumped him. Pepper bombs; pretty handy against Pokémon with sharp sense of smell, and a useful weapon against Poochyena or Mightyena packs.

While the canines were sneezing and coughing, barely able to breathe with the pepper smoke, the Hunter pulled out his four remaining Pokéballs to summon the rest of the Pokémon his collaborators had sent him: Pinsir, Yanmega, Kricketune and Wigglytuff. The best team he could gather against a pack of Dark-types.

At the Hunter's call, Yanmega cut the net holding the Granbull, while the rest of the Pokémon used their type advantage to attack the Mightyena before they could recover. That brat was wrong if she thought she could beat the Bloodliner Hunter.

"I have to admit, that was unexpected." The Gray Poochyena was still on her branch, never losing her mocking smile. That just made the Hunter even angrier.

"Yanmega! Use Ancient Power!"

"Mega!" The Bug-type created some rocks shards around and shot them at the Bloodliner, who leapt to another branch to dodge.

The Hunter analyzed his prey; she was nimble, but there was no way she could match Yanmega's superior speed. Even less with the Speed Boost ability increasing it each second. He then called the bug to follow her for a direct attack, but strangely enough, the Bloodliner didn't seem worried in the least.

The Gray Poochyena leapt from branch to branch, mocking Yanmega all the way. That didn't matter, though; the Bug-type would soon catch up to her.

Until the Hunter noticed something: one of the trees had a vine wrapped around it, as if it was holding something.

"Yanmega! Stop!"

The Hunter tried to break off the attack, but it was too late: the Bloodliner cut the vine with a bite, triggering another trap. A thick tree trunk, tied with more vines came down from above, crashing against the off-guard Yanmega and causing it to fall violently on the ground. How many traps did that accursed Bloodliner set up?

"What's the matter? Your Pokémon can't fly?" The Gray Poochyena continued to mock him, which only made him angrier by the second.

Fortunately, the Hunter wouldn't fall for the same trick twice. Until now, she had led the battle to her traps, but not anymore. If it was too risky to attack her while she was above, he had no choice but to force her to come back down.

The Hunter glanced at his Pinsir, who was fighting three Mightyena and seized his chance. With his trusty electric baton he hit one of the Mightyena by surprise, knocking it out and making it easier for Pinsir to defeat the other two with Brick Break.

Seeing that, the girl stopped laughing and glared at him. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?!"

The Gray Poochyena jumped off the tree, ready to face him. The Hunter allowed himself a smirk, his plan was going smoothly. Now he had his prey to his mercy.

"Play Rough!"

As soon as it heard the Hunter's command, one of the Granbull knocked away one of the Poochyena struggling with it, and charged in to attack. This time the Bloodliner couldn't dodge, and a dust cloud kicked up in the middle of Granbull's bites and punches. The Hunter smirked confidently; no matter how resilient that girl could be, a supereffective attack would leave her gravely wounded.

So he was in for a big surprise when the attack ceased. The Gray Poochyena had some scratches and bruises, but nothing too serious. Then, she started to glow faintly, before channeling her power to her fist, and unleash it in a single punch that sent Granbull flying, knocking it out cold.

There was no mistaking: that was a Counter. But... how? The Mightyena line couldn't pick up that attack naturally, could they? Worse still, the way she had endured a Fairy-type move...

Was he wrong? Maybe her Bloodline didn't have anything to do with Mightyena or Dark-types. Perhaps she was a Counter Bloodliner?

"Is that all you've got? I expected a better fight!" The Gray Poochyena mocked him again, even sticking out her tongue.

Fine then, no matter if she was a Counter Bloodliner, she wouldn't be able to stop two consecutive attacks.

"Pinsir, Brick Break! Kricketune, X-Scissor!"

Both bugs charged in to attack, their eyes filled with fury. But this time, the Bloodliner didn't wait for the attack to hit her. Instead, she extended both hands forward and suddenly, several rocks appeared over Pinsir and Kricketune, and then rained over them knocking them out easily.

The Gray Poochyena smiled after defeating her two opponents, and then howled to the sky, while the Hunter glared at her in anger. That had been a Rock Slide move.

The Hunter was now more confused than before. Was she some kind of Rock-type Bloodliner? Rock-types were characterized for being slow and heavy, but that girl was nimble and fast. If she was some kind of Species Bloodliner, she should have shared those traits with the Pokémon whose powers she had.

But he had no time to analyze any further, since a Poochyena leapt to his arm to bite it, and the Hunter was forced to knock it away with his electric baton. The loss of four Pokémon caused the tide of the battle to turn against him, now having only Wigglytuff and a Granbull, they were clearly outnumbered.

He couldn't count on his Pokémon to face the Bloodliner anymore. Now he'd have to do it himself while they distracted the Mightyena long enough. Unfortunately, he had no time to plan a new strategy as the Gray Poochyena stopped howling and furiously charged in to attack. She didn't seem happy with what the Hunter did to that Poochyena who bit him.

A rocky path formed towards the Hunter on the ground, while the Gray Poochyena protruded a pair of energy claws and began running on all fours. The Hunter recognized that attack as Rock Climb, and dodged at the last second.

The Bloodliner tried to attack again, but the Hunter switched to offensive, hitting her with the electric baton. The powerful discharge didn't take long to take effect, and the Hunter smiled as he saw how, despite trying to fight back, his baton was causing damage to the Gray Poochyena.

At least, until the Bloodliner smiled too and gave off a faint flash.

"Oh! N…" Before he could get another word in, the Bloodliner unleashed her full power focused in a punch to send him flying.

He was planning to beat her before she used Counter, but he missed the chance. The Counter's power was worse than expected: not only it snapped in half his baton, but he also felt a couple of cracked ribs. If it wasn't for the iron plates under his suit to protect himself, that could have potentially killed him.

"That took less than I thought." The Bloodliner smiled confidently as she surveyed her opponent's damage.

But she was wrong if she thought that would be enough to beat the Bloodliner Hunter. A real Hunter would always be ready for any eventuality, and this time it wouldn't be the exception. He quickly shut his eyes and threw one of his flashbangs.

The light burst caught the Bloodliner off-guard, leaving her completely blinded. Quickly seizing the chance, the Hunter grabbed his knife and charged towards his victim. However, she sensed the danger and moved away, just in time to avoid a fatal blow, but not enough to avoid a deep cut in her arm.

"That hurt!" The Gray Poochyena held her arm in pain, but the Hunter didn't reply, he just pressed on with his attack.

The Bloodliner quickly dodged the cuts with great agility, but the Hunter was skilled enough to land a few lucky cuts. The Hunter tried to ignore the pain from the previous blow; after all, if he managed to put the knife in her, he wouldn't have to worry about the Counter.

However, the Gray Poochyena was far from helpless. After dodging the last cut, the girl switched to attack, summoning some energy fangs to bite the Hunter's arm.

"Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!" The bite was quite painful, enough to force him to drop his knife.

The Hunter barely managed to shake the Gray Poochyena off of him, but he had no time to check his wounds, as she charged in for another attack.

He found himself forced to dodge or take cover in the worst of cases. The Gray Poochyena's attacks were aggressive and savage for her small size, and she moved pretty fast too. Unlike other smarter ones he had fought, she seemed to run more on her instincts, similar to a predator Pokémon who relished in combat.

The Hunter found himself overwhelmed; his arm was bleeding and he couldn't move it, not to mention the pain of the cracked ribs. His opponent gave him no rest with her constant attacks, up to the point she managed to bite him again. Finally, the Hunter's endurance reached its limit, and after another blow to his face, he slumped on the ground.

"I guess that's all you've got." The Bloodliner turned around, and glanced at her pack as they defeated the Hunter's remaining Pokémon with their sheer numbers. "Too bad, now it's over I'm gonna get bored again."

The Hunter watched from the floor, boiling in rage. He couldn't let one of those abominations to defeat him. With all of his might, he endured the agonizing pain, but managed to get back on his feet.

"You still want more?" The Bloodliner glanced at him with curiosity. "It's no use. Take your Pokémon and never come back here. You can't beat a hunter with my experience."

The Bloodliner Hunter said nothing: he simply placed a hand inside his trenchcoat and pulled the only tool he had left for that situation. He hated having to use it; they were unpredictable and impractical, not to mention too easy to track…

However, it was a matter of life or death.

*BANG!*

All the Poochyena and Mightyena remained still at the gunshot. The Bloodliner Hunter had a gun smoking in his hand, having just fired it at his victim.

"IT HURTS!"

The Gray Poochyena screamed in pain as she held her... shoulder? Damn it, he had missed, barely grazing her shoulder. His eyesight was blurrier than he thought. He tried to shoot her again, but his arm didn't respond, barely able to keep standing.

Worst of all, he glanced at his victim, seeing in her red eyes nothing more than pent up rage. His victim was completely furious, raging, as if she couldn't hold back her instincts anymore. The Hunter had seen that burst of anger many times, but now he was completely helpless.

The Gray Poochyena slammed her arm against the ground, generating several large stone columns. It was a Stone Edge attack, and it came directly at him. For the first time since he set out in his divine mission, the Bloodliner Hunter felt fear.

One of the rocks hit him and knocked him to the ground, and he was unable to remember much after that. His eyesight became blurry again, everything around him became dark. All he could hear was the Gray Poochyena howling to the sky. Soon, the pain disappeared too, as William embraced unconsciousness.

All he could do was leave his fate in Arceus' hands, hoping to be rewarded for all those years he served him...

**_To be continued..._ **


	2. Chapter 2

**_Unknown location…_ **

Darkness.

That was all the Bloodliner Hunter could see. It’d been long since the last time he had some actual rest, almost a decade. Every time he closed his eyes, all he saw was death and destruction, but that wasn’t the case now.

The Hunter was in the middle of nothingness, floating in an empty void. He didn’t fear death; he considered it a natural part of life itself. Not to mention the fair share of lives he’d been forced to take in his mission, not just of Bloodliners, but also humans and Pokémon who made the wrong choice by trying to get in his way.

He’d been long prepared to die… yet now the time had come, it was strange. Did his actions make any difference? Did he prevent that devastating future? The Hunter did his best, always examining every single Bloodliner he crossed paths with, hoping to change something in that future. He regretted not being able to carry his task all the way out, but at least now he would get his fair glory from Arceus, and have his well-deserved rest for his dangerous mission.

Little did the Bloodliner Hunter know, his time hadn’t come yet…

He slowly opened his eyes, finding himself in a warm and comforting place, although his head hurt like hell, and he couldn’t remember some things. He tried to get back up, but a stinging pain in his stomach prevented him. His wounds had been bandaged, and he was resting on a small yet comfy bed.

He then remembered what happened: that battle against the Gray Poochyena, the way she defeated him and how he ended up bleeding out in the middle of that thick and shadowy forest.

He also realized he wasn’t alone in that place.

“I’m glad you woke up. But please don’t move, your wounds are grave.”

The Hunter turned to the source of that voice, seeing a little girl, perhaps seven or eight years old, with brown hair. Somehow she seemed familiar…

No. That wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be. It couldn’t be _her,_ could she _?_

“Kibou!”

The Hunter jumped to his feet, ignoring his own pain and startling the little girl. Several memories flashed through his mind, memories of a distant past long gone. Before that nightmare his life had turned into.

Those times when he wasn’t the Bloodliner Hunter, just the priest William Stronger.

Kibou, that was the name he’d given to that little girl he raised like his own daughter. That baby a mysterious man had left under his care, the same girl he protected from idiots in his hometown.

_‘And the first Bloodliner you ever met,’_ a whisper echoed in the back of his mind.

He shook his head, trying to drive that insane idea out of his mind. She wasn’t one of them. She just _couldn’t_ be.

Many years had passed since then, since he touched that accursed orb. That was also the last time he saw Kibou. The last thing he knew about her was that she had killed the town’s mayor and his wife, then escaped along with her friend Mars. Of course, Stronger knew all those were lies invented by the townspeople, but those corpses were the only clue left behind after both of them vanished, never to be seen again.

Could this little girl be Kibou? Had he found her after so many years? Or was his mind playing tricks on him because of the pain?

Unfortunately, as he saw that little girl staring at him with confusion, he knew it couldn’t be Kibou. The physical resemblance was uncanny, but the ages didn’t match: this girl looked roughly the same age Kibou had years ago, while by his estimation she’d be old enough to be a regular Pokémon trainer at the present time.

She also lacked Kibou’s facial birthmarks. Once again, he had to fight against his own thoughts; those accursed Z-shaped marks the Bloodliners he hunted down usually had. It was just an unfortunate coincidence that Kibou just happened to have them. She was a normal human, not one of those abominations.

“Are you okay, mister?”

“Yeah… sorry if I scared you. I thought you were someone else.”

“You shouldn’t move too much. Like I told you, those are serious wounds.”

“I guess they are.” He nodded. “Who are you? Where am I?”

“Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name’s Hope, and I found you wounded in the forest. Were you attacked by some Pokémon?”

So she found him in the forest? It was a miracle he was still alive; if it wasn’t for this girl, he’d be dead for sure.

Though some things didn’t add up, and he had many questions. Why didn’t the Gray Poochyena attack her? Why was a little girl like her walking all alone in a forest so dangerous?

He couldn’t think clearly, though. He was in too much pain: he had not only many cutting wounds outside, but also a couple of cracked ribs. He could barely move, so once he took to his surroundings, he laid on his back once more.

Strangely enough, the room was small and simple, although the structure looked rather old and the stone walls gave away that it wasn’t a normal house. It looked more like some sort of shrine.

Seeing the little girl gazing at him with curiosity, he decided to ask himself. “I guess I should be thanking you. You can call me Bill, I’m a Sootopolitan researcher. Is this some sort of Draconid temple?”

“No, we’re a bit far away from the village. This place is an Arcean church,” the girl replied with a smile. “The priest isn’t here right now, though; he went to the village to get some medicine.”

Indeed, the situation was weird. He didn’t expect to find an Arcean church all this way out, let alone in Draconid territory. Draconids were more inclined to worship Rayquaza instead, or so he’d heard.

In any case, he was lucky to have ended in that place. He’d be able to recover from his wounds and plan his revenge. He couldn’t let the Gray Poochyena slip away from him.

“You okay, mister?” the girl glanced at him with clear confusion. “Maybe you should get some sleep to recover. You’re still too hurt.”

“I’m fine, I don’t need any sleep… just some time to think, I guess.”

“Then I’ll leave you alone.” The girl smiled at him again. “Let me know if you need anything, Mr. Bill.”

The girl left and the Hunter was then alone with his thoughts. He had too many things to process. There wasn’t much he could do for the time being, but if Arceus had brought him back to life, maybe it was for a purpose.

Maybe his mission wasn’t over yet. No, it was _far_ from over. There was still a Bloodliner War he had to prevent.

**…**

Impatient as he was, the Hunter knew he couldn’t strain herself. If he wanted to get his revenge on the Gray Poochyena, all he could do was wait until his wounds had healed, and that meant staying put right where he was.

Despite how boring it was, he had to admit it wasn’t a bad change. If he wasn’t in the middle of an important mission, he’d even appreciate the rest. He hadn’t felt so much at ease and peaceful since he left his hometown to embark on this task. It was a comforting feeling, one he’d almost forgotten over the years.

“Oh, you’re awake,” Hope said, as she handed him a tray full of food.

The man accepted it without a word, but he nodded and smiled at the girl with gratitude. She was quite attentive and kind, though for some reason she had an air of melancholy about her.

That was another of the differences she had with Kibou, which convinced him much to his chagrin that it couldn’t be her. To date he still wondered sometimes what became of her. She’d always talked about the hopes and dreams she had, and her wish to domesticate a Houndour to make it her partner, even though he told her many times the pack living in the town’s outskirts was rather aggressive and savage.

“Something wrong, Mr. Bill?” she suddenly asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“Huh? No, it’s nothing,” he replied as he realized he’d been caught staring at her.

The girls inquiring expression, however, made it clear she wasn’t buying it. Admittedly, he’d never liked lies. The act of feigned benevolence with some of his victims always had to crumble sooner or later, as he knew such abominations deserved none of those gestures. But it was necessary for his mission.

“Alright, to be honest… it’s just that you remind me a lot of her.”

“Of who?” she asked.

“My… adoptive daughter, we could say,” he confessed. “She was left by my door as a baby and I raised her for many years. I never knew who her parents were.”

“That’s curious, I’m an orphan too. The priest raised me since my parents died in a car crash.”

“Oh… I’m really sorry about that,” he said, genuinely feeling for the little girl. She didn’t deserve to lose her parents at such an early age.

Unsure as to why, that made him recall the main reason he accepted to raise Kibou, despite the shadowy air around the man leaving her in his care. Even though he’d made chastity vows, being that girl’s paternal figure made those years the happiest time of his life.

Until one day she ran away from town, and he never saw her again. Where could she be now? Had she achieved the dreams she had set for, or had she fallen into a bad road? He sincerely hoped that wasn’t the case.

There was something else he was concerned about right now. He hadn’t seen the church’s priest since he got there, and Hope looked strangely calm for someone alone with a stranger. Not that he meant any harm towards her, of course, but even so…

**…**

While the daytime went by relatively calmly, nighttime was a completely different story. The Hunter did _not_ want to sleep; he hated it, as he always saw those nightmares over and over again…

But he couldn’t leave his bed, and the pain of his injuries didn’t help. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been hurt that badly.

Trying to distract himself, he let his mind go adrift, thinking about his current situation. As any good hunter, he was a patient man who knew when to wait, but being immobile in a bed was getting too boring for his taste.

At least he wasn’t at risk; nobody would recognize him as the infamous Bloodliner Hunter. He was in a deep forest in the middle of nowhere, so there was no need to worry about the police. He also doubted the Gray Poochyena knew his location; should that be the case, she’d probably have come for him by now.

He was safe; the only people nearby were Hope and the priest who lived with her. He felt a tinge of pity for that girl; being an orphan was hard, and living in the middle of a forest wouldn’t help her situation. However, she was so cheery and nice… kids like her deserved a better future. That was one of the biggest reasons for his mission. He’d seen it in his dreams: those Bloodliners had no mercy even with children.

But, if those monsters had no mercy, then _he_ wouldn’t have any either. He’d eliminate as many as needed, no matter their age. That girl, Hope, would live in a happier world, where the Gray Poochyena wouldn’t be lurking around the forest to kill her.

When he thought about Hope, inevitably he thought about Kibou.

Kibou’s disappearance was one of the hardest things to cope with in his life. It was so sudden, and he didn’t even get the chance to say goodbye. What could have happened to her?

Several times he considered the possibility that she was actually a Bloodliner, but he always chastised his mind for even thinking such stupidities. Maybe it was true some of her physical traits made her look remarkably similar to those monsters, maybe she did have those strange facial marks… but she was no Bloodliner.

Why was he so sure about that? Because he knew her. She was a cute and sweet girl, cheerful and full of hope. A girl with dreams and aspirations of a better life. Someone who cared about others and always supported him. She was incapable of hurting, let alone killing, anybody. No matter how much the rumors of her being the mayor’s killer spread around their town.

Bloodliners didn’t have anything of that. They were beasts, simple killing machines with no remorse whatsoever. They believed themselves superior to humans and despised them. They were little more than monsters who couldn’t even control their powers. If possible they had to be killed as soon as they were born, before they became a danger.

As he thought about that, a question found its way into his head: What would Kibou think if she saw him now?

Before he could answer himself, though, a sudden sound caught his attention. A howl in the middle of the night, audible enough to snap him out of his thoughts and fill him with anger. That howl didn’t belong to any Pokémon: it belonged to the Gray Poochyena. He knew it: he’d recognize it anywhere after their encounter.

It was so irritating, as if she was challenging or mocking him. He had to hold back the urge to forget about his wounds and run after her. He knew he wouldn’t get anything from facing her in these conditions. He’d just waste his life.

As he heard the howls, he decided to get to work. Maybe he wasn’t up to going out again, but he’d take the chance during his recovery time to make plans. He had to carefully plan his rematch, to avoid making the same mistakes from their first encounter.

**…**

As the days went by, his wounds healed little by little, though he still wasn’t ready to get back up. Barring the howls of the Gray Poochyena, his days had gone quietly, as he hadn’t seen anyone.

The only person he had contact with was that little girl named Hope. She’d come on a daily basis to give him some food and treat his wounds, though she’d often stay for a bit to keep him company. Sometimes they’d even chat, though most of the time she’d just sit by his side as he thought about his own business.

Business that involved the Gray Poochyena, of course. That was still a question he hadn’t been able to fully decipher.

From what he recalled of their scuffle, the Gray Poochyena was agile and extremely intelligent. He hated to admit it, but she managed to beat him by outsmarting him, thus he’d be at a disadvantage fighting on her turf. However, during the fight he noticed how that savage seemed to lack tolerance to pain, as she winced quite a lot for the scratches the Hunter managed to inflict with his knife.

The wide variety of moves she showcased evidenced someone who had greatly trained their Bloodline. Said moves could be devastating such as Stone Edge, or defensive like Counter.

However, that was where the Hunter found himself at a conundrum. Those moves caught him off-guard, but it proved she wasn’t a Mightyena or Heart Bloodliner. She certainly was a Species type, but…  what Pokémon?

That was the riddle he needed to solve. He would gamble on a Rock-type, but those were too slow and heavy, unlike that monster. Was there an exception among Rock-types? He had to analyze well; he couldn’t attack until he fully gauged his opponent’s abilities. Otherwise he’d just get defeated once more, and nothing could assure him he’d survive a second defeat.

After giving it some thought, he decided he should ask the little girl. If she lived nearby, she could have useful information about his victim.

“Hey, Hope.”

“Yes, Mr. Bill?” The girl glanced at him with confusion.

“Say, have you heard about the Gray Poochyena?”

“Of course I have!” For some reason, the girl seemed excited about it. “The priest told me its tale as a bedtime story.”

“What did he tell you?”

“It’s an interesting legend,” she began to relate. “The Gray Poochyena is a very intelligent Pokémon. It lives in the deepest part of the forests and uses its wisdom to help lost travelers to guide them through the right path. I’d like to meet it sometime! They say anybody who meets it gets good fortune.”

Slightly different to what the townsfolk told him, but just as useless. Maybe he’d expected too much of a girl, but she was his only source of info available…

Wait a second… there was the priest too! Maybe _he_ would know about the topic!

“Hope, what about the priest? I haven’t seen him since I got here.”

“I know, I’m getting worried too. He left a while ago to get medicine, but… maybe he got lost on the way out there?”

The priest hadn’t returned? That was too weird. To leave the girl alone with a stranger was not a… but what if he didn’t _intend_ to leave the girl? What if something _did_ happen to him out there?

Maybe the priest was attacked by the Gray Poochyena? It seemed likely, and that was worrying. In his current condition he couldn’t go to try and find him, and with the time gone by, he might even be dead.

Damn it! Another life taken by Bloodliners he could have saved.

His biggest concern right now was little Hope. She was already an orphan, but if she lost that priest she’d be completely alone. He had to think of a way to help her, but before that, he needed to break the news for her somehow.

“Hey…” Stronger was unsure as to what to say. That was a delicate topic. “Look Hope… there’s a possibility that something might have happened to the priest.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Gray Poochyena Gris is real,” he said seriously. “She’s a heartless monster who is neither human nor Pokémon, and there are many like her out there.”

“That’s not true, the Gray…”

“Forget what the priest told you!” Stronger interrupted. “I’m not joking when I say it’s not a legend. The Gray Poochyena Gris is a Bloodliner. Do you know what that is?”

The girl didn’t answer verbally. Instead, she glanced at him for a few seconds before nodding.

“If you already know, that saves us many things. Listen up what I’m about to say, it’s for your own sake and wellbeing. _Never_ approach any Bloodliners under any circumstances.”

“I don’t think Bloodliners are that bad. I…”

“They’re worse than bad!” the Hunter interrupted. “If you want to stay safe, you have to fear and avoid them. And exterminate them if you have the chance. They’re not human beings.”

“Exterminate them?” The girl seemed scared. “Why? What makes them different from humans?”

“Their very nature. They’re destructive, and many won’t hesitate to kill you if they have the chance.”

“But what about the others? There are good humans and bad humans. Why can’t there be good and bad Bloodliners all the same?”

“Because of the power they possess. A real monster is one who cannot control their own power, and that’s what makes them different from Pokémon.” The Hunter took a few seconds to think how to get his point across. “Pokémon are born with their powers, and it’s in their nature to control them to bring balance to our planet. Bloodliners are not; they acquire their powers overnight and they can even kill people just by trying them out.”

“Then they should be taught how to handle them. Fearing them isn’t the answer…”

“Teach them? That’s stupid!” The Hunter’s scream scared the girl, who backed off a little. He then lowered his voice before continuing. “What do you think happens with those who do get to control their powers? Simple: they get corrupted by their power. Unlike Pokémon, they have the destructive ambitions of human beings.”

“I… I don’t believe that…”

“There’s precedent in history. Many real stories prove it.” The Hunter himself had researched quite a bit about it. “For example, in the ancient history of Hoenn, there are records of a Bloodliner with the powers of Ninetales. She mastered the move Attract and used it to seduce an emperor, eventually bringing the downfall of his empire.

“But that story…”

“It’s only one of many examples of Bloodliners across history. Conquerors, demons, criminals, tyrannical kings, all Bloodliners have always been that way.” The Hunter groaned and then sighed. “And that was when there were just a few of them. Nowadays there are thousands, maybe millions, who could put the whole world in danger.”

“Why would they do that?”

“Because of their ambitions! Give anybody power and they’ll use it for personal gain. They take advantage of others, they get riches and do whatever they want, and nobody can stop it.”

Once the Hunter finished talking, he noticed the little girl was shedding some tears, as she thought about what to answer.

Then, looking him into the eyes, Hope shyly tried to ask a question. “What if someone in your family was a Bloodliner? What would you do?”

“I’d kill them,” the Hunter replied without any hint of doubts. “I’d kill them before they become dangerous. Many parents have gotten rid of their babies, when they discover their Bloodliner nature. I met a few who threw their baby Bloodliner into the ocean because-”

“Stop it!” the girl shouted. “Do you really believe that?! All those horrible things?!”

“Have you been listening to me? Of course I believe it!”

The girl couldn’t hold it anymore, and she ran out of the room with tears in her eyes, leaving the Hunter alone again.

He felt partially guilty, for a moment he forgot he was talking to a little girl. He really regretted making her cry, but it was for her own good. Sooner or later she’d have to drop her fantasies and open her eyes to the real world around her, cruel as it might be.

Someday that girl would be grateful. Thanks to this talk, she wouldn’t become a victim in the upcoming war.

**…**

A few more days went by after that little chat with Hope. Strangely enough, the Hunter’s wounds were recovering faster than he expected, although his arm still hurt a bit.

The Hunter couldn’t wait for his recovery. He hated being inactive, as much as he hated the night. He didn’t want to sleep to avoid the nightmares, but even while staying awake he just became more embittered as he heard the Gray Poochyena’s howls.

On the other hand, Hope became more distant after that conversation. Now she’d only come in to give him food or medicine, and then left.

He really felt sorry for her; the girl was lonely and confused. The priest never came back, which only confirmed the Hunter’s suspicions: he had to be another victim of the Gray Poochyena.

But Hope didn’t have to worry. The Hunter would avenge the priest, killing off that accursed Bloodliner once and for all.

He still was unsure as to which species her Bloodline was, but at least now he had an idea of what it could be. A Rock-type Pokémon, unusually fast and without an apparent secondary type. If he had to guess, he’d say it was probably a predator Pokémon with a great sense of smell, similar to Mightyena or Houndoom. He already had a new plan to finish her off, and he’d decided he’d go out and do the job by nightfall.

The only thing keeping him in that church was Hope. What would happen to that girl? The Hunter was incapable of leaving her abandoned in that place, would he be so inhumane to do that?

No, he would take Hope with him. That girl was absolutely alone and he couldn’t leave her. True, he couldn’t take a small child to his most dangerous missions, but he’d be sure to provide her a safe haven for the incoming war. Who knew, maybe once she changed her mindset about Bloodliners, he might even be able to groom her into his successor once he couldn’t carry on with his divine mission.

He decided. He’d face the Gray Poochyena and once he’d gotten rid of her, he’d come back to the church and ask Hope to come along. With that in mind, the Hunter snuck out through his room’s window.

He’d left a briefcase with some tools hidden at the forest entrance, just in case he was defeated. All he had to do was get to it and take the stuff he needed to confront the Bloodliner.

Weirdly enough, even though it was nighttime it seemed darker than normal, and there was fog covering the trees. The Hunter walked cautiously across that thick fog, but then, a twig being stepped on behind his back startled him, before turning around with his guard up.

“Where are you going?”

Thankfully, it was just Hope. But… there was something weird on her. She didn’t look like the innocent child from before.

She looked more determined, but also… sad?

“It’s okay, I’ll be back soon. I just have a job to do.”

“You’re going to hunt down the Gray Poochyena, aren’t you?” He didn’t have to answer, the girl clearly knew that. “Please don’t, I’m begging you.”

The Hunter was surprised. Then again, after the chat they had, it wasn’t that hard to put two and two together.

“It’s my duty. I have to do this.”

“Please, don’t do that!” The girl continued to beg him as tears poured out of her eyes. “Why do you have to go? You can live in peace. Just forget about the Bloodliners, stay here.”

“Remember what I told you, Hope! If I stay here, the Bloodliners will _end_ the world as we know it. I’ve told you, they can be really cruel and…”

“That’s a lie! The only cruel one here is _you_!”

The Hunter remained silent for a moment. Hope talked as if she knew the truth about him. Did she…

“You’re murdering people just because they were born different!” Hope wiped a few tears off her face. “They never _chose_ to be born that way!”

Did she know about his killings? Did that mean the girl knew all along he was the Bloodliner Hunter?

“You have no idea what you’re talking about, child,” the Hunter argued, trying to keep his cool. “Bloodliners go against creation, Arceus himself…”

“What? Did Arceus himself send you a messenger or what?” the girl reprimanded him. “Snap out of it!”

His eyes opened wide at those words. How could she know about _that_?!

“They’re going to cause a war!” the Hunter yelled back. “I’ve seen the future! I’ve seen the deaths!”

“What have you _really_ seen?” the girl questioned. “Maybe there are extremist Bloodliners who could cause it, but that doesn’t mean _all_ Bloodliners support it. You’ve seen it! You’ve seen it every night yet still ignore it! Not all Bloodliners are evil, many of them are just manipulated or forced into it. Even more; many of them protect the humans.”

For a few seconds, he didn’t know what to think. Not just because Hope knew all that or the way she was talking to him, but because the Hunter had found himself at a loss for words.

“Bloodliners aren’t that different from humans!” The girl glared at him with decision. “They can laugh, cry, get angry and feel. They’re capable of doing good and bad. We all live in the same planet, why can’t we share it?!”

“That’s impossible. They…”

“What will you do to them? Are you going to kill them all? Even those who have done nothing and most likely never will?” As the Hunter found no answer, the girl pressed on. “There are too many of them out there, and you can’t follow the trail of all of them. All you’ll do is force many Bloodliners, like the Gray Poochyena, to fight back to protect themselves. _You_ are the one bringing that war you’re so bent on preventing!”

The Hunter, once again, found himself unable to answer. His head hurt and he couldn’t say anything. He had no idea how the girl knew all that, neither did he care. All he wanted was to leave that place as soon as possible, especially since the girl had made her stance clear.

As he turned around and tried to walk away, the girl once more tried to stop him.

“Wait! Where are you going?!” The Hunter kept walking without paying any mind to her. “Are you just going to ignore me?! Can’t you stand somebody telling you how wrong you are?! Are you just running away?!”

The Hunter continued to ignore her as he walked away. He was about to get into the forest and leave her behind.

Until the girl said the one thing that could have stopped him dead on his tracks.

“Hold it right there! Father William Stronger!”

No.

It wasn’t his imagination. That little girl had just called him by his birth name.

How could she know?!

“You… how the hell do you…”

But the girl wouldn’t let him ask any questions.

“Do you hate Bloodliners so much, you refuse to listen to reason?!” The girl’s voice was a mix of anger and frustration. “DO YOU HATE _ME_ SO MUCH?!”

That last part made him pale. What did she mean? Was she a Bloodliner, of all things?!

He turned to see the girl, and the next that happened left him stunned. A pair of small marks suddenly appeared on the girl’s cheeks, and her eyes changed color.

But the Z-mark wasn’t the most impressive thing about her. Her arms suddenly became covered in electric energy, leaving the Hunter’s face completely white. He couldn’t move or think; he was too shocked.

He couldn’t believe it, and yet…

“Kibou…” was the only word he could utter.

There was no doubt; that little girl was Kibou. The same Kibou he raised like his own daughter, the same who brought him so much happiness in the past, and the same who vanished mysteriously.

So then… Kibou was a Bloodliner? That sounded impossible, hard to believe, it just couldn’t be…

No, he already knew. Deep down he always knew, but never wanted to admit it. The only person he considered part of his family, the little girl he raised, was a Bloodliner all along.

He glanced at her arms and how electricity crackled around them without harming her. That was a Thunder Punch, Kibou’s Bloodline, no doubt.

The Hunter tried to talk, but the words just didn’t come out. He couldn’t recover from that shock. He’d been looking for her for years and… it made no sense! Even if she were Kibou, she looked exactly like the last time they saw each other. She was still a child and didn’t grow even an inch. How could that be possible after so many years? How could she be that age? Kibou would have to be a teenager by now!

But now that he looked at her, he noticed her look was different to Kibou’s. Any trail of innocence in her eyes had vanished, all he saw in them was sadness and sorrow.

“Kibou, what happened to you?”

And then, right in that moment, a howl took the Hunter by surprise, who immediately turned around. It was the Gray Poochyena’s howling, but that mattered little, they had to…

“Kibou? Kibou, where are you?!”

He just turned around for a second and she’d vanished, as if she’d never been there.

It wasn’t just Kibou. The whole church’s building had vanished too, and the Hunter found no explanation for it. Where the church had been before there was nothing but trees, as if the fog had swallowed the church whole.

What had just happened? The Hunter ran off trying to find the church, but he tripped. He took a couple seconds to get back on his feet and… was he now somewhere else? It was another area of the forest, one without fog at all.

“Kibou?!”

The Hunter was confused, and his cry was never answered. He then heard another howl, bringing him back to reality. The Gray Poochyena Gris was still stalking him out there.

Enraged and confused, the Hunter decided he’d prioritize his mission. He’d go get his weapon briefcase and hunt down the Poochyena. As he was now, he needed to vent with someone.

* * *

 

**_Deep into the forest…_ **

He’d finally found her.

He already knew where her cave was, so he only had to look for it. The Hunter approached carefully from behind the bushes, glancing at his next victim.

The Bloodliner was outside her cave, surrounded by Poochyena and Mightyena. She was just childishly rolling around the ground while playing with… Pokéballs?

Those were the Pokéballs the Hunter had brought in their previous encounter. With a quick glance he noted the activation buttons were broken, so the Pokémon inside wouldn’t be able to get out.

The Hunter groaned in anger as he saw the Bloodliner playing with the Poochyena as she threw the Pokéballs like a baseball or something. He wanted to get revenge on her, but he knew he’d end up badly if he didn’t act carefully. For the time being he’d try a sneak attack, that was his advantage.

“You don’t need to hide, you can come out.”

The Hunter remained hidden, holding his breath. At least, until the Bloodliner stood up and glanced intently towards her hiding place.

“My ears can pick up waves between 10,000 and 50,000 hertz. I can hear you over fifty feet away.”

He wasn’t in the mood for any more games, so he just walked out of hiding, showing a clear expression of rage. The girl, on the other hand, just stared at him with indifference.

“I see you survived our last encounter. You’re skilled; if I have to guess, you probably escaped when I passed out due to the pain. But I wonder, how did you evade the Poochyena? You shouldn’t even be able to move.”

The Hunter didn’t answer, instead just glaring at her. He then noticed the bandages the Gray Poochyena had over her shoulder. It looked like she didn’t come out unscathed out of their previous scuffle. Good for him; that gave him an advantage.

“You don’t want to talk? At least let me ask you a question. Why do you want to kill me?”

He had no intention of answering that. He cleared all doubts from his head: there was no point in trying to exchange words with a monster like her. He just had to kill her: that was his mission.

The Poochyena and Mightyena growled at him and began surrounding him, but the Hunter was not afraid of them. They caught him off-guard the first time, but now, he had a plan.

“Guess it’s a lost cause.” The Bloodliner sighed heavily. “Honestly, I was hoping you’d have some information about that man, but I see that’s not the case.”

Then, a quick succession of events followed:

The Gray Poochyena raised her arms, and a bunch of stones materialized above the Hunter. Thanks to his quick reflexes he was able to jump out of the way before getting crushed, but he had no time to analyze what happened. The Poochyena quickly jumped him, forcing him to move fast. He managed to knock one of them away with his baton, but there were too many and he knew he couldn’t hold them for too long.

Fortunately, he was ready for them.

He managed to pull back keeping them at bay, long enough to pull another gadget from his jacket. It was a small metallic cube, which he quickly activated to produce a small antenna.

There were certain sound frequencies that Pokémon could catch, but humans couldn’t. He created that gadget based on that concept; it generated sound waves capable of causing unimaginable pain to Pokémon without affecting humans. One of his first inventions; back in his hometown there were enough Pokémon to experiment on. Sadly it was too fragile, so he seldom used it in his hunts.

He finally got a moment’s rest; the Hunter smiled upon seeing how all Pokémon around him stopped attacking and became paralyzed, groaning in pain.

“Now, let’s get the job done.”

It seemed like the Bloodliner’s hearing was as good as she boasted, as she too was agonizing with the sound. He had to finish her off before she recovered and used her powers.

Without missing a beat he ran towards his prey, his baton in hand to mash her to death. He finally had her; he’d finish her off before she tried to pull any other dirty trick…

Then he suddenly lost sight of her and suddenly felt a surge of pain himself.

It took him a few seconds to realize what happened, but when he did, his anger towards the Gray Poochyena only grew. The Hunter had fallen into some kind of trap hole, covered in dirt and leaves. He was angry at himself for falling for a trap of such level, though the pain returned him to reality, making him realize he sprained an ankle with the fall.

Right then, he heard a small detonation and several angry barks. He guessed they probably destroyed his machine, meaning that the Poochyena would try to kill him when he tried to get out. Fortunately, he was more than ready to confront them.

“That hurt!” he heard the Gray Poochyena’s voice. ”My ears are still buzzing! Now get out of there or I’ll crush you with my Rock Slide!”

As the Gray Poochyena recovered from the sound, the Hunter pulled out the tool that would give him victory. From inside the hole, he threw some gas bombs that quickly filled the area.

“It can’t be!”

When the Gray Poochyena realized what was going on, it was too late. Many Pokémon, like Poochyena, Growlithe or Houndour, relied a lot in their senses of smell and hearing to perceive the world. The combination of gases the Hunter had unleashed took advantage of that handicap, disabling completely the Pokémon’s acute sense of smell, with a bit of helium thrown into the mix so they wouldn’t recognize the Gray Poochyena’s voice. Now the Bloodliner would have nobody to help her, and they would settle this.

As she tried to calm the confused Poochyena, the Hunter took his chance to get out of the pit and with a swift move smacked her with the baton. The Bloodliner fell violently to the ground, and he was delighted to see his attack had been effective. The Gray Poochyena’s eyes were tearing up, as if trying to hold back her pain.

However, soon that expression turned from pain to anger. “I TOLD YOU THAT HURTS!”

Screaming in rage, the Gray Poochyena hit the ground, summoning rock pillars against the Hunter. He barely managed to slide out of the way, dodging a Stone Edge that wouldn’t have left him unscathed. He’d achieved his goal of getting her angry and make her lose composure, but he was taking a huge risk. His sprained ankle hurt like hell and didn’t let him move freely.

He was unable to dodge the Bloodliner when she jumped at him for a Bite attack, and his arm paid the price. He tried to smack her with his baton, but she was too fast and agile, dodging and attacking savagely, and managing to land several punches and kicks.

Upon realizing that once again he was losing control, the Hunter became concerned. He managed to land another hit with his baton, although the Gray Poochyena smiled at it. She then used Counter, delivering a punch that knocked him back a few feet.

The Hunter managed to get back on his feet with difficulty; that had hurt a lot and he felt his wounds from the previous fight were opening again. Worse, the Gray Poochyena returned to attack, though fortunately he knew how to get about that trouble.

“Hey! Hold on a second!” The Bloodliner held off for a bit, but kept her guard up for anything he might try. “Tell me, do you know what this is?”

He’d pulled a small object from his trenchcoat, one the Gray Poochyena evidently recognized.

“It’s just a lighter, what…” Then the Gray Poochyena realized what it meant, and her expression shifted into terror. “Wait a moment! You wouldn’t…?”

Indeed, a lighter could be mostly harmless at first, but as they were surrounded by inflammable gases all over, he could create a fiery explosion. Of course, the Hunter had no intention of killing himself, but his prey didn’t need to know that.

“Hey, stop…” She tried to appear calm, but she couldn’t hide the worry in her voice. “What are you up to? You’re gonna blow us both up!”

And taking advantage of the Gray Poochyena’s fear over the possible explosion, the Hunter took the chance to hit her with his baton. It was a swift move, one she didn’t see coming, and not just at any random spot: he hit her right on the bandaged shoulder, on the spot she had taken a bullet during their previous encounter.

But he didn’t stop there; with another swift move, he pulled out a knife from his coat and stabbed the Bloodliner with it.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!”

The Gray Poochyena’s cries of pain echoed all over the forest as she fell to the ground, completely helpless. No, that stab wound wasn’t meant to kill her, just to disable her. During their previous battle he’d come to realize the brat wasn’t very tolerant of pain and decided to take advantage of it. Maybe with enough pain she wouldn’t even be able to counterattack.

“So you had fun mocking me, huh? Let’s see who’s laughing now.”

With a psychotic smirk in his face, the Bloodliner Hunter was ready to finish his victim once and for all. He raised his baton and smacked the Bloodliner, over and over again. At first, he struck her on the shoulder, causing as much pain as possible, though after a while he stopped caring about that spot and simply hit her as hard as he could.

This was what Arceus wanted, the mission he’d been sent to fulfill. He’d eliminate all those monsters and save the future. He was a hero, even if people didn’t understand.

Finally, the Hunter glanced at his victim, full of bruises and covered in blood, completely helpless. It was time for the coup de grace, to end her once and for all. Soon enough, the Gray Poochyena would cease to be a threat to the world, and nothing could stop him now.

“Stop please! Don’t do it!”

The Hunter hesitated just for a moment. He recognized that voice.

“Kibou!” He glanced around all over trying to find her, but he couldn’t see her anyway. He could only hear her cries, Kibou was clearly crying. “Please understand, Kibou, I have to do this!”

“No you don’t!” He heard her voice again, as if the forest’s wind brought it to him. “Please stop, there’s still time, you can…”

“No, Kibou. I can’t stop.”

“Of course you can! What you’re doing is wrong, that’s what I’ve told you. You’re destroying yourself!”

“Don’t you get it?! There’s no turning back now!” For a moment, a tear went down the Hunter’s cheek. “The priest William Stronger is dead. I’m the Bloodliner Hunter.”

“Please…” A few moments of silence. “Please, I’m begging you…”

“I…” Why did he feel so much pain? He felt horrible upon hearing Kibou’s cries, but he couldn’t stop. He had a mission and nothing could get in his way. It was the time to leave his past behind. “I’m sorry, but this is my duty. Listen, Kibou…”

“REVERSAL!”

The Bloodliner Hunter’s musing was interrupted by the Gray Poochyena’s scream, followed by a powerful flash that sent him flying several feet against a tree. The Bloodliner was still keeping a move hidden and took the chance when he was distracted to use it.

He got back on his feet as soon as he could, and glanced how the Gray Poochyena limped towards her cave. That didn’t matter; with those wounds she’d never got too far and would never escape from the Hunter.

He tried to follow her inside, but…

“ROCK SLIDE!”

Many giant boulders materialized and covered the cave’s entrance completely. Unable to believe it, the Hunter attempted to remove them, but they were too heavy and his wounds only made his efforts worse. The cave had been sealed.

“No… no! NO!” Rage took over the Hunter, seeing his prey had escaped him. He pounded on the stones to vent his frustration, uncaring about the pain in his hands. “DAMN IT! Look at what you did, Kibou!”

The Hunter turned around, but Kibou was nowhere to be found. He couldn’t even hear her voice.

Thus, he decided to retreat before the gases dissipated and Poochyena attacked him.

…

The days went by and the Hunter treated his wounds in the nearby village, telling the residents how a savage Poochyena had attacked him. Fortunately, the Draconids had enough medical knowledge to help him. Unconventional medicine, but effective nonetheless.

The Hunter returned to the forest afterwards, managing to gain entrance into the cave. He eventually found the Bloodliner had slipped away through a different tunnel. He looked far and wide all over the forest, but the blood trail went cold by the edge of a river, finding no trace of her whatsoever.

How could she leave the forest so quickly despite her wounds? The Hunter didn’t know, it was almost as if she was ready to make her escape. Certainly, she’d been one of the most dangerous Bloodliners he’d ever faced. With luck, if her wounds didn’t kill her, she probably drowned or was eaten by a Carvanha school downstream. He certainly hoped that was the case.

One thing was for sure; with the Gray Poochyena no longer in that forest, there was no reason for him to stick around that place.

* * *

 

_**A few weeks later…** _

Once more, the Hunter was back on his mission. He still hadn’t fully recovered from his wounds, but he realized he’d still have a long way to go and couldn’t waste any time.

Savitore had put him up to date with the latest events during his absence. From his account, a group of Bloodliners wreaked havoc at the power plant at Gringy City in Kanto, causing a huge blackout that killed lots of people in accidents caused by the panic and hospitals that found themselves without backup electricity. A guard who survived the attack and his declarations confirmed what the Hunter already knew: Kanto was already infested with Bloodliners.

That kind of incidents always made him nervous; more of them were happening and they were less far in-between. He glanced unpleasantly at his computer with the data Savitore had sent him about the Kanto region. There was a list with several names of possible or confirmed Bloodliners: Tyrian, Tajiri, Raylight, Ketchum, Beedle, Akai, Borealis, among many others. And those were just the Kantonians.

Many of them were coming into the spotlight during the past few years. Anybody could argue that would be advantageous when it came to identifying them, but that wasn’t what the Hunter thought. He felt frustrated, as he realized how far he was from fulfilling his mission.

Most of the ones born in the Bloodliner Baby Boom were growing up, many were teenagers and aside from having powerful Pokémon teams, had also better developed their powers. That would only make them more dangerous and harder to hunt down. The clock was running, and the appearance of Bloodliners who were growing stronger showed him time was running out. The war could break out at any moment.

And though the future of his nightmares seemed to get closer, the Hunter’s effort were nowhere near enough. He hadn’t even eliminated one quarter of his list, and more were added every day. He had to work even harder, be more efficient if he wanted to off them before the war began.

However, he couldn’t go after a potentially dangerous target until he was fully recovered, so he’d focus on an easier victim for now.

The Bloodliner’s name was Marron Armond, a thirteen-year-old female. She lived alone with her mother in Mahogany Town, Johto. She still wasn’t of age to be a trainer, but she cared for a low-level Pikachu and Clefairy, so her Pokémon team wouldn’t be any trouble.

“You sure you’re ready for the mission?” Savitore asked when he communicated. “You still have some wounds, and you seem to be having ravings lately…”

“I’m fine!” He had no time for Savitore’s stupidities, he had a mission to finish. “How are the preparations coming?”

“Everything’s going well. Those Team Rocket dumbasses are ready to play their part. It’s a minor cell, though, but they can get the job done for a quick buck. As soon as we give them their cue, they’ll start wreaking havoc.”

“Good.” The Hunter sounded pleased. He had no love for Team Rocket, but every once in a while they could come in handy. They could create the perfect cover for his hit, and with luck, he could even pin the blame on them for the crime.

“So, what about the Bloodliner’s ability?” Savitore asked with curiosity. “Something dangerous?”

“Nothing to worry about. She’s a Bloodliner with the move Charm. I don’t think she’ll give me any trouble.”

“Those are good news. I’ll get in touch with the Rockets to get started soon…”

“No, not yet,” the Hunter interrupted.

“What are we waiting for?”

“A man has been following the monster’s mother.” The news seemed to surprise Savitore. “I don’t know who he is yet, but I’m not taking any chances. For all we know he could belong to the International Police. Let’s wait until the woman goes out for work, and then we’ll strike.”

“That might change the plans a bit… what do you need, Hunter?”

“This time I’m going to need a Koffing or Weezing. As well as a Fire-type.”

“Oh, I get it. The classic explosion trick, I like it.” Savitore’s chuckles were starting to tire the Hunter. “You’re lucky; I could send you a Houndoom, what do you say?”

“No, I hate Houndoom.” Too many bad memories of that species. “Don’t you have something else?”

“Well, aren’t you a superstitious one?” Savitore chuckled again. “I could send you a Magby. Is that better?”

“It’ll do.” The Hunter was pretty irritated by now, so he decided to end the conversation. “You wait for my signal and get everything ready in the meantime. We’ll do the hit tonight.”

Before Savitore could reply, the Hunter ended the call. He was tired and there was still about half an hour left before the woman left for work. He was planning on getting everything ready, set up the safety of his camper and rest for a bit.

Though _she_ wouldn’t let him rest.

“Please, don’t do this.”

There she was again. He’d been seeing her occasionally since the forest incident. Nobody else could see her, and Savitore was worried upon seeing him ‘talking to himself’. But the Hunter knew she was there. He could feel her.

“I’m not going to stop, Kibou. So don’t try.”

“I’ll keep trying as long as I have to! I’ll insist over and over until you leave this dark path!”

“It’s too late, Kibou. There’s no turning back for me. I’ll never be able to rest until I fulfill my mission.”

“It’s not too late, you can still stop. You’re destroying yourself from the inside, you…”

“Stop, Kibou! No matter how much you beg, I won’t stop. My hands are already stained in blood. Don’t you see?”

“I don’t like to see what you’ve become!”

“If you hate so much what I am now, why don’t you just scram and leave me alone?!”

“Because I can’t stand seeing you suffer this way!”

For a few seconds of silence, neither said a single word. The Hunter finally sighed.

“Look Kibou, I have no time for this. There’s a mission I have to fulfill.”

Kibou tried to reply, but the Hunter ignored her and left the van. Still hearing the girl’s cries, the Bloodliner Hunter focused on what was in front of him. He had a mission and nobody would stop him.

Maybe they questioned him now, but in the future, he’d be known as a savior.

* * *

 

_**Undisclosed location…** _

The pain was unbearable. In her rush to flee she hadn’t been able to treat her gravest wounds, and she had no time to rest. She knew she had to keep moving if she wanted to stay alive. The last thing she remembered was getting to the edge of a river, the sensation of falling into the water and then, nothing but darkness.

“Too… cold…”

She had no idea how things ended up that way. That man almost murdered her and she didn’t even know the reason. If it wasn’t because the madman suddenly started to talk alone, he’d most likely have killed her.

She was frustrated. All her preparations, the traps she set up, everything she learned, it was all for nothing. The forest was no longer a safe place for her, and she had to abandon it as soon as she could.

Before she died, her mother warned her to be on the lookout, as many people could come looking for her, seeking to take advantage of her abilities.

Including that trash of a man who called himself her father, or stepfather, if she got technical. Sure. A father wouldn’t use his daughter as his personal attack dog in poaching, just to save some money on equipment and weapons.

Her mother did everything she could to keep her safe, and yet, she couldn’t even defend herself against a regular guy. How could she prevent being captured by that man, when she couldn’t even beat a normal human without any abilities?

There was nothing left to do. The events that transpired in the forest would probably get that man’s attention, and she couldn’t stay at a compromised location. She had to leave the forest ASAP.

But she had her limits and she’d already reached them. She didn’t even know where she was anymore, and her pack was unable to follow when she fell into the river. Her wounds and the cold of being soaked wet left her unable to get back up. It was a real miracle she’d come this far.

That was her end. Nobody would come to her aid, she was done for.

“Rowf, rowf…”

A tiny, strangely familiar bark alerted her. Daring to open her eyes, she saw a Poochyena, looking at her with concern. But it didn’t belong to her pack. In fact, it didn’t look like a wild Pokémon.

“Rowf, rowf, rowf!”

“What’s the matter?” an unknown, human female voice asked. “Oh my God!”

She heard the running steps coming close to her. She’d barely had any strength to raise her head and look who it was, although she did hear some more barks, although these sounded more like those of Mightyena.

“Are you alright? Please answer if you can hear me!” the voice asked upon reaching her.

She was barely conscious, but the voice did get her attention. Still, she was too weak and scared to give a reply. She didn’t dare to open her eyes to look at her, and kept only listening to the Pokémon’s barks.

“Hang in there, please!”

She felt herself being lifted up and held under the armpit. Even if she could fight back, she didn’t want to.

She finally opened her eyes, even though she was too weak to even speak. She didn’t know if the pain was playing trick on her mind, but she didn’t feel like questioning it.

Her savior turned out to be a young woman, maybe around twenty. She had green hair cut just above her neck, and she wore what looked like a forest ranger uniform. Through the corner of her eye she saw run in front of them the Poochyena from before, and three Mightyena, the four of them still barking frenetically.

For a brief moment, she activated her Bloodline, staring at the woman who saved her. She smiled slightly, knowing for sure she was trying to save her. She could feel at ease now; there would be a lot of time to ask questions later.

For the time being, she preferred to surrender to unconsciousness and rest after that almost fatal encounter. She deserved it.

**FIN.**


End file.
